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Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence
In wildlife conservation, rewilding refers to restoring habitats and creating corridors between preserved lands to allow declining populations to rebound. Marc Bekoff, one of the world’s leading animal experts and activists, here applies rewilding to human attitudes. Rewilding Our Hearts invites readers to do the essential work of becoming reenchanted with the world, acting from the inside out, and dissolving false boundaries to truly connect with both nature and themselves.
216 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2014
34 people are currently reading
585 people want to read
About the author
Marc Bekoff
72 books251 followersPlease see http://www.literati.net/authors/marc-... and you can read my essays for Psychology Today here -- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/a... --
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 24, 2021
Yes! This was amazing. So many great points. This is one of those books I wish I could get everyone to read. It's such a simple concept in theory, but it's something that is constantly growing and changing with our society and we constantly need to think of ways to grow and change with it... and always try to 'rewild.'
Bekoff is such an amazing writer and I love reading his books. Mad it took me so long to get to this one after having it for a while.
Bekoff is such an amazing writer and I love reading his books. Mad it took me so long to get to this one after having it for a while.
May 19, 2016
The basic thesis of the book is that we need to “rewild” our emotional connection with nature. Bekoff briefly discusses what rewilding is and says that rewilding “reflects the desire to (re)connect intimately with all animals and landscapes in ways that dissolve borders.” We need to reconnect with the natural world. Our emotional connection with nature, or the lack of it, is behind all the problems we’re having with global warming, environmental destruction, species extinction, and so forth. If we could just connect with nature, the path to solving our problems would be clear, or at least clearer.
The key insight is important, and our disconnect with nature is a big part of our environmental crisis. This is a great book for promoting discussion of “rewilding,” and he throws a lot of ideas out. However, if you are looking for specifics, the book is a bit vague and it’s not clear where he wants to take this.
For example, how does he think our changed attitudes towards nature — assuming we could achieve that — will affect habitat destruction, the leading cause of species extinction? Two problems immediately leap out at us: human overpopulation and livestock agriculture. Should we go vegan and limit everyone to no more than two kids, or even one? He doesn’t say, even though he’s vegan (and briefly says so).
He does talk about how to reconnect with nature. He throws out a bunch of ideas, and his comments on animals in the media are interesting. But it’s just not clear where we’re going with this or always even how we’ll know if we’re truly reconnected. On page 43, he says that “Rewilding only asks us to do what comes naturally and what feels right.” But a lot of our problems arise exactly because we are doing what comes naturally and feels right. People eat bacon because it tastes good, and overpopulate the planet because sex is fun and everyone loves kids. On page 72, he throws out the “eight P’s” of rewilding, but “patient, powerful, positive,” etc. are vague. How is this different than just thinking about nature and having positive thoughts? We need more specifics than this.
Here’s where I, personally, would go with this idea: we need not just policy changes, but the moral underpinnings to support these policy changes — a conviction that changing our society is not just a good idea to “save our planet” and avoid killing ourselves, but also is the right thing to do. If we had compassion for animals, then we’d realize that raising animals for food is not only cruel to the domesticated animals that we eat, but also to the wild animals whose habitat is being destroyed to grow crops to feed animals. If we had compassion for animals, and for all of nature, we’d realize that the child we’re thinking about having, just through their existence in a consumer-oriented society, is going to cause habitat destruction as well.
Our “rewilding” would be directed towards these objectives, and we could tell if it were working based not on some subjective fuzzy positive feelings about nature, but whether it helped people understand the problems and adopt needed positive behaviors. But I don’t see him making this argument or anything like it. This is a good book to get the discussion going, but it is short on specifics.
The key insight is important, and our disconnect with nature is a big part of our environmental crisis. This is a great book for promoting discussion of “rewilding,” and he throws a lot of ideas out. However, if you are looking for specifics, the book is a bit vague and it’s not clear where he wants to take this.
For example, how does he think our changed attitudes towards nature — assuming we could achieve that — will affect habitat destruction, the leading cause of species extinction? Two problems immediately leap out at us: human overpopulation and livestock agriculture. Should we go vegan and limit everyone to no more than two kids, or even one? He doesn’t say, even though he’s vegan (and briefly says so).
He does talk about how to reconnect with nature. He throws out a bunch of ideas, and his comments on animals in the media are interesting. But it’s just not clear where we’re going with this or always even how we’ll know if we’re truly reconnected. On page 43, he says that “Rewilding only asks us to do what comes naturally and what feels right.” But a lot of our problems arise exactly because we are doing what comes naturally and feels right. People eat bacon because it tastes good, and overpopulate the planet because sex is fun and everyone loves kids. On page 72, he throws out the “eight P’s” of rewilding, but “patient, powerful, positive,” etc. are vague. How is this different than just thinking about nature and having positive thoughts? We need more specifics than this.
Here’s where I, personally, would go with this idea: we need not just policy changes, but the moral underpinnings to support these policy changes — a conviction that changing our society is not just a good idea to “save our planet” and avoid killing ourselves, but also is the right thing to do. If we had compassion for animals, then we’d realize that raising animals for food is not only cruel to the domesticated animals that we eat, but also to the wild animals whose habitat is being destroyed to grow crops to feed animals. If we had compassion for animals, and for all of nature, we’d realize that the child we’re thinking about having, just through their existence in a consumer-oriented society, is going to cause habitat destruction as well.
Our “rewilding” would be directed towards these objectives, and we could tell if it were working based not on some subjective fuzzy positive feelings about nature, but whether it helped people understand the problems and adopt needed positive behaviors. But I don’t see him making this argument or anything like it. This is a good book to get the discussion going, but it is short on specifics.
September 21, 2016
Pithy, sentimental bullshit. It's not as if I don't spend a significant amount of my time in the wild, and enter remarkably natural (including whatever risks) relationships with animals, along with a host of other lifestyle choices Mr. Bekoff might admire. His narrative is just crap, so whatever coincidental connection there is between my lifestyle and his rant is irrelevant.
If you're honestly entering and participating in NATURE, you realize pretty quickly that no one, whether human animal or other animal, tree or rock DESERVES anything. Deserves is a totally relative, human moralistic construct, used by parents aiming to modify their children's behavior, and the Hollywood academy distributing their awards. In nature there's no deserving. Morals don't buy you any cake, sentience doesn't make you stronger than the next guy, and being sweet doesn't help your progeny reproduce at a higher rate. I have no problem with "deserve," but it doesn't belong in this context. The same goes for virtually every other concept Bekoff proposes. His moralistic, sentimental viewpoint ~ all the sentience and emotion in the natural world acknowledged ~ is just blather.
If you're honestly entering and participating in NATURE, you realize pretty quickly that no one, whether human animal or other animal, tree or rock DESERVES anything. Deserves is a totally relative, human moralistic construct, used by parents aiming to modify their children's behavior, and the Hollywood academy distributing their awards. In nature there's no deserving. Morals don't buy you any cake, sentience doesn't make you stronger than the next guy, and being sweet doesn't help your progeny reproduce at a higher rate. I have no problem with "deserve," but it doesn't belong in this context. The same goes for virtually every other concept Bekoff proposes. His moralistic, sentimental viewpoint ~ all the sentience and emotion in the natural world acknowledged ~ is just blather.
April 6, 2016
The ideas were commendable, but they were expressed in vague terms and rarely reinforced by stories or examples. I found the writing to be boring. I would have liked the author to illustrate his points with examples and anecdotes.
February 11, 2017
Love the idea and the arguments presented here, but felt disconnected from this book from page one. I can't put my finger on why, but it didn't resonate in the way I expected.
August 18, 2023
Had to read this for class, but there were definitely some great lessons in here.
March 28, 2022
This is a lovely, gentle book about how we as individuals can rewild ourselves in a world that is often cruel and indifferent to nonhuman animals. We are, after all, part of nature, and we have done incredible damage to her. Bekoff argues that we heal ourselves and ultimately the planet when we embrace our connection with nature and specifically with other animals.
The book makes me question how I might be more attuned to the animals around me, more helpful, more protective. It is more about nurturing the individual's relationship to other species and to other humans than about collective action, although Bekoff provides examples of groups and individuals who have developed programs to protect other species.
The final chapter, "Afterward," is a valuable resource for those wanting to immerse themselves in this concept as it is to a fair degree an annotated bibliography of authors and works that expand the topics covered in Rewilding Our Hearts, including Conservation Psychology, a study new to me. I also appreciate Bekoff's discussion of the work of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods (a book that helped shape my thinking about education) and The Nature Principle (Note to self: Buy that book.).
Rewilding the Heart is not definitive, but it is an excellent place to begin thinking about your relationship to nonhuman animals and it's a great resource for more of that journey. Journey well, and be kind.
The book makes me question how I might be more attuned to the animals around me, more helpful, more protective. It is more about nurturing the individual's relationship to other species and to other humans than about collective action, although Bekoff provides examples of groups and individuals who have developed programs to protect other species.
The final chapter, "Afterward," is a valuable resource for those wanting to immerse themselves in this concept as it is to a fair degree an annotated bibliography of authors and works that expand the topics covered in Rewilding Our Hearts, including Conservation Psychology, a study new to me. I also appreciate Bekoff's discussion of the work of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods (a book that helped shape my thinking about education) and The Nature Principle (Note to self: Buy that book.).
Rewilding the Heart is not definitive, but it is an excellent place to begin thinking about your relationship to nonhuman animals and it's a great resource for more of that journey. Journey well, and be kind.
December 25, 2024
I read this book for a class and by god, there was discussion spurred from the reading. Unfortunately, most of it started with me bitching about how Bekoff talks in circles and never makes a helpful point!
I think environmentalisms is incredibly important and having empathy for other species is key to our prolonged existence, but unfortunately Bekoff seemingly has a hard time expanding that empathy over to people, or making his argument look enticing to other perspectives. Or really making an argument at all because again, he talks in circles.
Bekoff is writing this manifesto from a remarkably privileged point of view. In his writing, he is actively dismissing the work done by the blue-collar laborers he is trying to “rewild”. For every intercity child he wants to have access to nature, he is pushing down the futures of rural kids whose cities and districts rely on agriculture and ecotourism. My main problems, with this in mind, come from his points against hunting and farming;
At one point, Bekoff is discussing cattle farmers shooting coyotes who are preying on their calves. And he is correct that the coyote is completely within its natural right to kill that calf… however he does not consider the lives of the humans that the loss of that cow will effect. It’s a give and a take. Predators deserve to exist as they always have, however farmers do too. Bekoff’s solution to this dilemma is that farmers should stop farming cattle—as if they could completely uproot their livestock just like that! He offers no solution as to what should happen to the livestock instead, how the farmers can improve themselves, or how they can get out of the economic crunch that even is farming in thr first place. This is my problem with the author; he doesn’t think his opinions through and argues them like they’re solutions.
To continue this, on page 87 there is a quote I find difficult to maneuver around, “Hunting and fishing may help some rewind, but it is not the sort of rewilding I support because I feel we should do all we can not to harm or kill other animals or trespass into and destroy their homes.” So if he’s so against hunting and open range farming (as mentioned previously), does he think slaughterhouses in cramped quarters are more ethical? Because I certainly don’t, and I also don’t think the answer is vegan/vegetarianism—like making your cat or dog abide by such a diet, just because it’s sustainable in the short-run, does not mean it’s the correct answer for an entire species. And this is a completely different thing, what about pelts and skins and leathers? Does he want us to use faux-fur and pleathers which are made out of completely unnatural materials? Because that stuff is actually becoming a really big problem, since it’s just plastic and other non-biodegradable junk.
Additionally, his whole spiel on page 86 about “making hunters realize what they’re doing is wrong” is (one of, probably not) the largest pile of bullshit I have had to read in this book. Maybe this is a West Coast Problem (speaking as someone from Southern Appalachia) where they have larger and more expensive game to be poached, but I genuinely do not believe that the majority of hunters aren’t considering the lives they are taking in the field, and the later impact that their cull will have on the ecosystem.
TLDR; Congratulations man, you have a basic understanding of love and empathy that every six year old also has! Now actually put that forward into a compelling argument with proof on how we can use these ideas to better our situation, and I won’t have to yell at you in the margins of my book! Always giving critique and never solutions will only turn people off from what you have to say. It certainly has had such an effect on me.
I think environmentalisms is incredibly important and having empathy for other species is key to our prolonged existence, but unfortunately Bekoff seemingly has a hard time expanding that empathy over to people, or making his argument look enticing to other perspectives. Or really making an argument at all because again, he talks in circles.
Bekoff is writing this manifesto from a remarkably privileged point of view. In his writing, he is actively dismissing the work done by the blue-collar laborers he is trying to “rewild”. For every intercity child he wants to have access to nature, he is pushing down the futures of rural kids whose cities and districts rely on agriculture and ecotourism. My main problems, with this in mind, come from his points against hunting and farming;
At one point, Bekoff is discussing cattle farmers shooting coyotes who are preying on their calves. And he is correct that the coyote is completely within its natural right to kill that calf… however he does not consider the lives of the humans that the loss of that cow will effect. It’s a give and a take. Predators deserve to exist as they always have, however farmers do too. Bekoff’s solution to this dilemma is that farmers should stop farming cattle—as if they could completely uproot their livestock just like that! He offers no solution as to what should happen to the livestock instead, how the farmers can improve themselves, or how they can get out of the economic crunch that even is farming in thr first place. This is my problem with the author; he doesn’t think his opinions through and argues them like they’re solutions.
To continue this, on page 87 there is a quote I find difficult to maneuver around, “Hunting and fishing may help some rewind, but it is not the sort of rewilding I support because I feel we should do all we can not to harm or kill other animals or trespass into and destroy their homes.” So if he’s so against hunting and open range farming (as mentioned previously), does he think slaughterhouses in cramped quarters are more ethical? Because I certainly don’t, and I also don’t think the answer is vegan/vegetarianism—like making your cat or dog abide by such a diet, just because it’s sustainable in the short-run, does not mean it’s the correct answer for an entire species. And this is a completely different thing, what about pelts and skins and leathers? Does he want us to use faux-fur and pleathers which are made out of completely unnatural materials? Because that stuff is actually becoming a really big problem, since it’s just plastic and other non-biodegradable junk.
Additionally, his whole spiel on page 86 about “making hunters realize what they’re doing is wrong” is (one of, probably not) the largest pile of bullshit I have had to read in this book. Maybe this is a West Coast Problem (speaking as someone from Southern Appalachia) where they have larger and more expensive game to be poached, but I genuinely do not believe that the majority of hunters aren’t considering the lives they are taking in the field, and the later impact that their cull will have on the ecosystem.
TLDR; Congratulations man, you have a basic understanding of love and empathy that every six year old also has! Now actually put that forward into a compelling argument with proof on how we can use these ideas to better our situation, and I won’t have to yell at you in the margins of my book! Always giving critique and never solutions will only turn people off from what you have to say. It certainly has had such an effect on me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2016
The default tendency of our society to think of the human race as separate from nature can only have disastrous consequences, such as we are currently seeing in the widespread destruction of wildlife habitat, greatly accelerated extinction rate of species, and alarming changes in climate. Bekoff reminds us both of the importance of our fellow non-human beings and how to increase that awareness for all of us generally, but particularly in the education of children.
Although the book tends to be somewhat repetitive, its message is urgent and well-articulated. The more we rewild our outlook, the more we will be aware of human overpopulation and dominance, able to see the destruction of life around us, and capable of taking steps toward positive change.
Although the book tends to be somewhat repetitive, its message is urgent and well-articulated. The more we rewild our outlook, the more we will be aware of human overpopulation and dominance, able to see the destruction of life around us, and capable of taking steps toward positive change.
December 15, 2024
I love the concept of "rewilding"... realizing how far removed from nature we have become, and beginning a process of opening our hearts to it again. If any conservation efforts we take are to have any lasting change, then it must start with a change in ourselves and how we think about nature. This book has a lot of good information on how we can do that, and also on the social and ecological ramifications it can have. It's about learning to accept animals for who they are and not who we want them to be, acknowledging their right to a peaceful life and not just one that is convenient for us. It's about living kinder and more compassionately to all creatures and the earth as well. It's about conservation but in a more deeply personal way than is usually portrayed.
September 28, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it's well written and has great points, but I wouldn't say those points are anything new and the book is so short that it didn't really dive deeply into any topic, but just gave a surface dusting. If you are fairly new to the environmental movement I would say this will be a quick and wonderful read. If, like me you have already read other books on similar topics I wouldn't say it's a great read. Interested to see what else this author has written I believe his other books may be more in-depth.
October 6, 2025
We need a wilder less human dominated world sure.
But this work was strangely fluffy and vague, offering little directions on how we shift a culture towards it. Sometimes would drift into an interesting critique before drifting past without any real persuasive countering take. Such as our evocative vocabulary decreasing in song with our decreasing time spent within the natural environment in the last century or two.
But this work was strangely fluffy and vague, offering little directions on how we shift a culture towards it. Sometimes would drift into an interesting critique before drifting past without any real persuasive countering take. Such as our evocative vocabulary decreasing in song with our decreasing time spent within the natural environment in the last century or two.
June 26, 2018
A must read for any one who is an animal lover and conservation enthusiast. I was very moved by the book and the author's passion for his subject. As a paraprofessional and teachers assistant, I was very interested in the chapter on rewilding education and Mr. Bekoff's assertion that we should move education out of the classroom and get children out in nature for more than recess.
August 27, 2020
This was exactly what I needed. I can resonate with the author's strong sense of social and ecological justice and yet, he seems light in the way that he thinks about these issues. A positive, encouraging book with a broad perspective on the topic of natural preservation.
May 8, 2023
I'd give this 1.5 stars. I like Becoff, I respect his opinion, but I don't agree with some of the all-or-nothing views in this book. It preaches compromise, but then doesn't follow through in some opinions such as zoos, farms, etc. The book was a bit of a slog for me, despite its small size.
February 23, 2018
Naively written, but it sparked my thinking and pointed the way to more worthy books.
October 6, 2019
Compassion!
May 18, 2020
Well researched and easy to read, Rewilding gives readers great vocabulary to living in balance with the world around us and how to live your ideals. I genuinely enjoyed it.
November 21, 2015
I read this book as a part of the UMW Reading Program which uses different categories of selections to expose and educate its participants. So, I was expecting something that was challenging or new territory for me. I purchased the book based upon the title and back cover description which unfortunately, I believe to be very misleading. I was under the impression that the author was applying the principles of "rewilding" to "build pathways of compassion and coexistence" among human groups and within our relationships with one another. I liked the idea of seeing the positive practice work in animal groups applied to humans and "becoming reenchanted with our world". But, that is not the focus of this book. It is about our relationships, attitudes, and actions toward non-human animal groups. The author speaks from a lot of knowledge, research, and education that doesn't really educate nor inspire the reader. But, the afterword chapter does! I thoroughly enjoyed the action he calls us to and the real life applications found in the last 11 pages.
May 12, 2015
A compelling and optimistic appeal to all of us. The ecological path we are on is not sustainable and Marc Bekoff outlines a positive and supportive, but yet disciplined outline of personal responses which cumulatively are critically important if we hope to alter our world 's nonhuman and, yes, human animal path toward extinction.
Backed by scientific research, personal experience, with an appeal to moral behavior that respects all animals Bekoff leads us to understand how we need to "rewild" our selves our attitudes and our world.
Well written and supported with lots of referenced books on related subjects . The author manages to not be offensive or preachy ( and he encourages others to do the same), and is concise ( I like concise ) throughout. 4.5.
Backed by scientific research, personal experience, with an appeal to moral behavior that respects all animals Bekoff leads us to understand how we need to "rewild" our selves our attitudes and our world.
Well written and supported with lots of referenced books on related subjects . The author manages to not be offensive or preachy ( and he encourages others to do the same), and is concise ( I like concise ) throughout. 4.5.
December 27, 2016
The author mentions the following as typical outcomes from his talks
* listeners with tears in their eyes
* people who decide to become vegetarians or vegans
* people who become advocates for animals
That level of persuasiveness is not in evidence in this book. It was very dry and academic, with references to lots of other books and authors.
I would guess the audience would be college students.
* listeners with tears in their eyes
* people who decide to become vegetarians or vegans
* people who become advocates for animals
That level of persuasiveness is not in evidence in this book. It was very dry and academic, with references to lots of other books and authors.
I would guess the audience would be college students.
March 28, 2016
I feel the description of this book (from the back of the book and the United Methodist Women Reading Program) was misleading. I expected to read a book with information on how to coexist with other people, instead the book was about living with "non-human animals." I agree that we need to coexist with all living things but I think we have a lot to learn about living with each other first.
March 27, 2016
I'm not sure if this is fair, because maybe if I had thought of this subject less already I would have been more impressed by the book, but I thought it was lacking any real substance. I like the idea of being more compassionate to other humans AND the rest of the world, and Marc Bekoff seems like a nice guy, but this all felt pretty surface-level when I wanted teeth.
July 2, 2016
what i mainly got from this book was a long list of other books to read on the topics of conservation politics, human-animal connections, and the rewilding movement. not terribly well-written, kind of a repetitive insistence that rewilding is important. it might have been more compelling if it was the first time i'd heard an argument of its kind.
January 24, 2017
Ah geez, this guy has packed so much knowledge, advice and great referencing into this book.
Yeah the layout could of been smoother, but it didn't stop my head from nodding constantly and making my eyes water and inspiring me.
I think this is the kind of book EVERYONE should read.
Thanks Marc
Yeah the layout could of been smoother, but it didn't stop my head from nodding constantly and making my eyes water and inspiring me.
I think this is the kind of book EVERYONE should read.
Thanks Marc
February 18, 2016
This entire book could be condensed into a paragraph without leaving anything out
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews